Visiting Vianden, Luxembourg’s Prettiest Town
*POST UPDATED NOVEMBER 2022.
Hello friends, happy Wednesday! I’m chasing my tail a bit here, but I’m finally getting around to sharing the follow up to my first Luxembourg post: Visiting Vianden, the prettiest little town! Vianden is located in the north of Luxembourg, and it’s home to the biggest castle in the whole country! During our three-day stint in Luxembourg back in January, Boyfriend & I decided to make the journey to Vianden for a half-day trip. Factoring in the travel time – around 1-hour each way – it’s not exactly ideal if you’re looking for a hassle-free trip, but it was definitely, one hundred percent worth it! We loved our time in this pretty little town!
You guessed it: heaps of information listed below! How to get there, where to have coffee + pastries, and what to see + do. Enjoy!
visiting Vianden
five fun Luxembourgish facts
Seeing as this post is quite a bit smaller than my Luxembourg City blog post, I thought it’d be cool to share a few fun facts I learned about the country while researching for this trip! Dum-dum-dum-da:
β’ Luxembourg is landlocked by three different countries. France to the south, Belgium to the west & north, and Germany to the east.
β’ Luxembourg is the 7th smallest country in Europe! Beaten only by Andorra, Malta, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Monaco, and Vatican City; it’s tiny! If you were to drive from the very north of the country to the very south, it would only take you an hour and a half! And we thought Ireland was small – pssht!
β’ at the time of our visit, Luxembourg is the richest country in the world. It is known for high income levels & low unemployment rates.
β’ Luxembourg is the only Grand Duchy in the world. I actually had no clue what this meant before visiting, but now I can share my knowledge! A Grand Duchy is a country whose official head of state is a monarch bearing the title of Grand Duke or Grand Duchess. This is different from a Kingdom, which is run by a King or Queen, like the UK.
β’ Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel was the first serving EU leader – and only the second in the whole world! – to marry a same-sex partner. The two married in 2015, less than a year after Luxembourg legalized same-sex marriages.
Some pretty cool stuff!
visiting Vianden
visiting Vianden
before you visit
Just a few quick things to consider if you’re thinking about visiting Vianden! π
β’ Vianden is a tiny little town with just over 2,000 inhabitants. The streets are winding and charming, lined with pastel coloured houses and cute cafΓ©s. Quiet, quaint, picturesque, and ultimately: lovely. With this in mind, Vianden is very much a day-trip destination; perhaps somewhere to spend a long afternoon pottering around. Due to transport timing, we spent less than 2-hours in town, but I honestly don’t feel like we missed out on much.
β’ many attractions in Vianden are covered under the Luxembourg Card. Main sights included are: entry to the castle, rides on the chairlift to/from the Castle, and entry to the Victor Hugo museum. The card covers attractions country-wide and, if more places in Luxembourg City had been opened during our visit, we probably would’ve opted for it ourselves!
β’ from our own personal experience, Vianden very much seems to be a summer town. Many businesses and restaurants were closed when we visited in January, but I’ve read online that during peak summer months – aka: peak hiking months! – it comes alive. Just something to take into consideration!
visiting Vianden
visiting Vianden
getting there
Here’s the thing about visiting Vianden: there is no direct route between there and Luxembourg City. Which, by the way, is just mind-boggling, because Vianden is one of the top tourist destinations in the whole country, but I digress. With a little bit of planning and forethought, it really isn’t that hard to get there – it’s just one train and one bus away from Luxembourg City. These are the steps we took to get to Vianden:
β’ first, we took a train from Gare Luxembourg to Gare Ettelbruck. This is a regional train that departs once every 30-minutes going towards Diekirch Gare, and it took 40-minutes on the button to arrive at Ettelbruck. Note: on Sundays this train only runs once an hour, so be sure to double-check the timetable!
β’ from Ettelbruck, we took the #570 bus all the way to Vianden. The bus leaves from just outside the train station, going in the direction of Obereisenbach, and takes 25-minutes. As with our bus journey in Luxembourg City, the ride is very straightforward with the stops clearly marked on a screen inside the bus. Note: again, on Sundays this bus only runs once an hour, so be sure to double-check the timetable.
See, it’s not that bad! If you time it right, the wait between getting off the train and onto the bus should only be about 15-minutes – which is way more than you’ll need to locate the bus stop.
visiting Vianden
visiting Vianden
where to get pastries + coffee
My first port of call in any new-to-me place is to hunt out the best pastries & coffee in town, and that was no different when visiting Vianden. We got into town relatively early – prime pastry time π – and here’s where we hit up:
Boulangerie-PΓ’tisserie Au Croissant D’Or // the internet unanimously agreed: this is home to the best pastries in Vianden. We opted for an epic custard + raisin Danish, and a giant pain au choc; both were delicious, but I especially enjoyed the Danish! Upon entering/leaving, please take note of the adorable croissant door handle – isn’t it the coolest thing ever? We took our pastries up the road to a nice bench/water fountain area and devoured them there. Be warned: they sell out fast, and on Sundays they close early! Address: 31 Grand-Rue, 9410 Vianden, Luxembourg
Ancien CinΓ©ma CafΓ© Club // the cutest little cafΓ©! Quirky dΓ©cor and a lovely atmosphere. We sat at the window to watch the world go by, but down the back they have a projector running movies non-stop with comfy couches to lounge in! It was Sunday morning when we visited, so I think they were showing Tom & Jerry, but there’s different showings throughout the day. It’d be a cool place to while away an afternoon with a drink or two! Added bonus: the prices were mercifully low, compared with those in Luxembourg City. Would recommend. Address: 23 Grand-Rue, 9410 Vianden, Luxembourg
visiting Vianden
visiting Vianden
what to see + do
I feel like this almost goes without saying, but the main reason anyone even thinks about visiting Vianden is 100% to see their spectacular castle! I was super excited about seeing it with my own two eyes, because – other than, like, Kilkenny Castle etc. – this was my first castle experience! And really, they just do castles so much better on the continent, amiright? Heck. Yes.
Vianden Castle Viewpoint // I was just as excited about making it to this viewpoint as I was about visiting the castle! Like, look at that view! The path to the viewpoint certainly isn’t exactly straightforward, but it’s definitely worth hunting down! To get there: cross the street from the Auberge Du Chateau, and walk along Neipiertchen. At first there’s a steep flight of stairs that leads behind houses and overlooks a playground, but don’t fear: this is correct. At the top of the stairs, there’s a rocky muddy path – which, honestly, had me questioning my sanity – that eventually leads to a metal tunnel and a spiral staircase. The tunnel is dark and scary, but when you make it to the top of the staircase it’s so worth it for that view!! A must visit!
Vianden Castle // the biggest castle in all of Luxembourg! Mountaintop position? Check! Cute pink colour? Check! Rapunzel-style turret? Check! Combination of both overwhelming size and sheer beauty? Check!! I died and went to castle heaven. We opted to tour the inside of the castle – β¬10 each at the time of our visit – and, although not as impressive as the exterior, we both enjoyed wandering around. Many of the rooms have been restored and are filled with furniture of yore. Good to know: during the summer months you can take a chairlift from the town to the castle, but sadly it was closed during our visit. Apparently the views are amazing! Don’t miss: Patrick Swayze’s autograph! Swayze starred in George & the Dragon, which was filmed in part in the Castle. A must visit! Address: Mnt du ChΓ’teau, 9408 Vianden, Luxembourg
visiting Vianden
visiting Vianden
And there we have it: Visiting Vianden, Luxembourg’s prettiest town. Have you ventured to the little hillside village? For us, it was definitely worth making the trip up and back in one day – it’s so beautiful! As usual, I’d love to hear any thoughts or comments you have! Hit me up using the box below π
Ciao for now!
Vicki xo
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Castellina in Chianti | A Guide to Tuscany’s Most Overlooked Village
A Quick Guide to Saint-Γmilion, France
Bremen, Germany